Tag Archives: writing

A Summer Full of New Projects

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new projects summer work fun

I wish this had been my summer view. I did get in some good time away with my husband.

Working is not generally how someone describes a fun summer. But new projects and clients and ongoing work made me one happy camper. Er, freelancer.

I was thrilled to take on a significant project for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), writing website pages about the organization’s activities in 48 of the countries where it has a presence. The work was compelling and challenging, and my MSF contacts have been wonderful to work with. I look forward to wrapping up that project by the end of the year.

It is always exciting to welcome a new regular client. This summer, Caron Treatment Centers hired me to be their go-to freelance writer. I’m enjoying the chance to write web content about their drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs. This new gig is stretching my medical content expertise even further, and I get to work with great people.

Thanks to a recommendation from a former client contact, I had the opportunity to write a white paper about intentionally diverse public schools. It was interesting to hear about the work school founders are doing to create an academic environment that promotes racial equity. I also wrote annual report content for an educational nonprofit that does great work supporting students in need across the country.

My work as the newsletter editor for the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) continues to be a pleasure. I can’t say enough good things about the amazing work this nonprofit does to provide information and resources for individuals with autism and their families. This year marks 12 years of working with the dedicated OAR crew.

I have been working for Enterprise Community Partners even longer. If you don’t know about this impressive nonprofit organization that makes well-designed homes affordable, you should. I have written for some of its publications and provided both copy and substantive editing for its website and many reports over the years. My client contact is an experienced professional who is also a delight to work for and with.

These new projects and long-term clients are why I love my work. If you or someone you know has a project coming up that needs a freelance writer or editor, please email me at info@almsink.com.

Storytelling Should Be a Critical Tool in Creating Your Content

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storytelling

Image credit: Pexels

Humans love a story. That’s why storytelling should be a critical tool in creating your organization’s content. It draws your readers in, keeps them reading, and helps them remember what you told them. These are the key elements of storytelling that you can and should use.

Open the door just enough that they are intrigued by what they can see and what they have yet to see. These examples from well-known writers should give you some inspiration:

  • It is summer, and so, we are repeatedly reminded, it is time for the beach — beach bodies, beach reads, fruity beach drinks in tall glasses festooned with tiny paper umbrellas and fruits skewered on tiny plastic swords. This is an ideal beach of hot sun, warm sand, crystal-clear water that leaves your skin salted. But it is all too often a mirage. Roxane Gay writing in “The New York Times”
  • On the isolated shore of the Savage River, in the backcountry of interior Alaska, there’s a small memorial to a deceased woman named Claire Ackermann. A pile of rocks sits on a metal plaque with an inscription that reads, in part: “To stay put is to exist; to travel is to live.” Jon Krakauer writing in “Outside”

Give them a hero. The hero could be a member of your staff; a product or service; a client, patient, or customer; a donor, volunteer, or beneficiary. It could be your organization. (The line between coming to the rescue and bragging is thin indeed. Pay attention to make sure you are doing the former.).

Put your readers in your story. Or give them a way to put themselves in the story. For example:

  • You have been in this place. Home on a Friday night, kids in bed, the latest episode of your favorite show ready for your viewing pleasure, when without even a whimper, your DSL ceases to work. Down. Out. Gone. Along with your modest dreams for a relaxing evening. What do you do?
  • She isn’t alone. In fact, thousands of teenage girls (and boys) struggle with body image and food. Parents often struggle right along with them, yearning to do the exact right thing to get their child back on a healthy track and cautious about taking the wrong step. Maybe you are that parent. Or maybe you were once that teenager. Perhaps you are both. We can help.

Give your story a narrative arc. ThoughtCo. defines the narrative arc as made up of the following components: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Writer’s Digest describes the narrative sequence as “the structure that: 1) brings readers in and hooks their interest; 2) keeps them reading; and 3) leads them and the story to a fulfilling conclusion. That’s how beginning, middle and end function in a narrative.” Present the problem. Describe the consequences if the problem is not solved. Solve the problem. That is, in fact, what tips columns like this one often do.

Create action. Every good story needs action. In the case of a blog post or website content, the action you should never leave out is a call to action for your readers/customers. Do you want readers to sign up for a savings account? Donate money? Read more?

Be clear, specific, and concise in your call to action. Don’t ask readers to “Read more here.” Better: “Read Emu the whale’s story,” “Sign up for our monthly newsletter,” “Compare savings accounts,” or “Donate now to bring the pups home.”

Give your readers a resolution. That resolution depends a lot on the type of content you are writing. If it’s a tips article, you can summarize the importance of the tips and how using them will make the reader’s work or life better. If it’s a how to, you can wrap up with “If you follow all the steps, you will find you have…” If you are writing a post or article that compares the wrong way to do something to the right way, wrap up with a conclusion that gives them the benefits of the right way or a personal anecdote of what happened to you or your company/organization when you did things the right way.

Finally, the best way to learn the art of storytelling is to read. What you read doesn’t really matter—magazines, newspapers, novels, nonfiction—whatever you enjoy is fine. As you read, pay attention to the ways the writers draw you in, keep your attention, and accomplish their objective to entertain, instruct, inform, or persuade you.

Need help telling your organization’s stories? Sherri Alms has been helping organizations tell their stories for more than 20 years. 

Make Sure Your Writing Provides Excellent Customer Service

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plane

Returning recently from a vacation, my husband and I took a connecting flight out of Chicago to Baltimore. Once we arrived at O’Hare, we checked the monitors along our way to the gate, and saw that the flight was scheduled to depart on time. When we got to the gate, the sign said the same. We settled into the waiting area chairs and watched the minutes tick by.

It soon became clear that our flight would not depart on time, despite the sign that still told us it would. Several people went up to talk to the customer service representative at the desk. Soon after, she got on the microphone and said, “Attention, passengers on Flight XXXX, we don’t know where your plane is, and we don’t know where the crew is so we can’t tell you when the flight will leave.”

Really.

A low rumble of grumbling ensued. One woman near us declared to her husband that she was going to go get a beer. I know you all have been in this waiting area.

Lots of Questions. No Answers.

My husband and I just looked at each other. Was the plane delayed in Bali? Boston? Having mechanical difficulties? Would it ever arrive? And what about that crew? Were they all sick? Lost? On strike? Should we rush to reschedule? Sit tight? Burst into tears?

B. headed to the desk to talk to the customer service representative. When he came back, he was smiling but it wasn’t a “problems all solved” kind of a smile, more of a “what the heck?!” kind of a smile. It turns out that the plane was coming from a hangar and the crew was in the airport just not to the gate yet.

Next thing we know, she comes on to tell us that exact information and then that there will be “decision time” at the original time of take-off. Decision time? What did that mean? The flight had a plane and a crew. And a whole bunch of passengers who were all decided. What more did we need?

Soon after, the plane arrived, the crew arrived, and we took off about 45 minutes later than scheduled.

Writing for Your Customers

Why am I writing about this? Because it’s a textbook example of how not to communicate. Instead, when you are writing to your customers/clients/supporters, do this:

1. Give them the information they ask for. Don’t engage in vague generalities or feel-good (or, in the case of the airline representative, feel-bad) statements. If you don’t have the information, they need, explain why and then how you will get it.

2. Tell them what you are good at in concrete terms. Stay away from overused words, such as innovative, groundbreaking, pioneering, excellent. Instead, illustrate. To showcase your staff’s experience, for example, tell readers how many years combined experience the staff has. If you want your readers to know how innovative you are, provide examples. Rather than writing “compassionate” over and over again, offer testimonials that illustrate that compassion. Use statistics to highlight how you are better than the competition.

3. Support your customers/supporters/readers by helping them. What kind of advice can you offer? How can you help them choose your business? What can you do to encourage new volunteers and support those you have? How can you engage potential supporters/customers?

4. Answer their complaints and acknowledge their suggestions. Set an example so that others see that they can trust you to correct mistakes and be straightforward and upfront.

5. When the news isn’t good, it may be better to lay it out than to speak in frustrating generalities. It was far better for us to hear the plane and crew were there but delayed than to hear that seemingly no one knew where the heck either was.

Take a lesson from our hapless customer service representative. Communicate honestly. Be specific. Tell your readers what they want and need to know. They will thank you.

If you want to know more about communications strategies and methods, email Sherri Alms.

Why Your Organization Needs a Style Guide

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word cloud

When you decide on a fashion style, you are letting people know who you are through your fashion choices. So if you wear yoga pants, sneakers, and a sleek down vest, people are going to make assumptions about you that are different from the assumptions they would make if you wore high-heeled pumps, a black suit, and a silk shirt. A style guide does the same thing for your organization’s content “personality” and gives employees and contributing writers a format to follow. A style guide should:

  • Explain the tone and character you want your organization to have. For example, if you work for a healthcare organization, your style character might be “providing expert information in a compassionate and caring way.” If you are working for The Onion, it may be “the more bizarre and hilarious, the better.” Establishing your content’s “personality” will help determine some of the more detailed choices you make for your organizational style guide. A healthcare organization is likely to advise its writers not to use slang, for example, while it may be a great idea for Onion writers.
  • Describe any specific grammar/punctuation rules the organization chooses to follow. For example, some organizations use the Oxford comma (the one that comes before “and” in a series, as in orange, banana, plum, and apple) and some don’t. Other organizations may capitalize job titles or use % rather than writing the word “percent.” Another common style guide element is guidance on how to set up and punctuate bulleted lists. Will there be a period at the end of each bullet line? No punctuation? A semi-colon? Use the style guides below for guidance if you don’t already have your organization’s specific grammar and punctuation styles set.
  • List words that should be used and those that should never be used. One of my clients is a nonprofit that funds and disseminates practical autism research that can be used by families, educators, and therapists. It always refers to “people with autism,” never to “autistic people.” Another client that provided information about health care careers included a list of how to refer to people with different ethnic backgrounds, using African-American, for example, rather than black and American Indian instead of Native American and so on.
  • Offer guidance on when and how to use italics, bolding, and underlining.
  • Provide basic information on correct punctuation and grammar. It’s helpful to include lists of commonly misspelled words as part of the style guide as well.

In addition, an organization may provide:

  • Boilerplate descriptions of the organization and its mission that should always be used
  • Guidance for when to use the organization’s full name and when to use a shortened version
  • Guidance for when and how to use jargon specific to its industry/mission
  • Any legal rules that must be followed, such as remembering to include photo credits, proper use of disclaimers, how to post copyright notices, etc.

You don’t have to start from scratch when you put together a style guide. There are a number of style guides that you can use as references to get started on your organization’s style guide. These are among the most commonly used style guides:

  • AMA Manual of Style, published by the American Medical Association, is used mostly by science and medical writers and organizations.
  • AP Stylebook, from the Associated Press, is a writing guide for journalists. It is the one I use most often and highly recommend to many clients.
  • Chicago Manual of Style is mostly used by book authors, but it’s a useful guide for anyone. It covers just about every style question you might have.
  • Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, more generally referred to as the APA style guide, is also used primarily by science and medical writers and organizations.
  • MailChimp Content Style Guide is MailChimp’s internal style guide, meant for those who write online content, including email newsletters. It’s free to anyone who wants to use it.
  • MLA Handbook, published by the Modern Language Association, is used for scholarly publications and content.
  • U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual is used by federal agencies and those who work with and for those agencies.
  • Yahoo! Style Guide, which oddly is only available in hard copy, is a good and thorough resource for writing for the web.

It’s a good idea to pick one or two style guides your employees and contributing writers can use, supplemented by a guide that spells out specific organizational style.

Once you have a style guide, make sure it is available to everyone who needs it and that they understand they are responsible for abiding by its rules (so as not to burden your communications team with the responsibility of copyediting for organizational style). The style guide should be a living document. Once again, like fashion, it’s going to evolve as punctuation, grammar, and word choice styles evolve and as your organization adapts to its current environment. Need help putting the guide together? AlmsInk is happy to help you with that and your other communications needs.

The style guide should be a living document. Once again, like fashion, it’s going to evolve as punctuation, grammar, and word choice styles evolve and as your organization adapts to its current environment. Need help putting the guide together? AlmsInk is happy to help you with that and your other communications needs.

Need help putting the guide together? Email Sherri Alms for help with that and your other communications needs.

How to Make Your Content Captivating

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colored marble in front of clear marbles

Pixabay

One marble on the sidewalk is one you will likely notice. But if there are 10 or 20, it will be more difficult to pick out one. Fifty and none will likely stand out. Unless there is something about that marble that catches your attention. And that, folks, is what web writing is like. Content is everywhere on the web. Not that I have to tell you that. “Read this.” “You will be a better person if you read this.” “This will make you laugh.” “This will make you cry.”

If you are writing any kind of web content—a blog post or newsletter article, a website section, or almost anything else—you need to make sure your writing stands out. How do you do that?

Write for your audience. Do you know who they are and what they want? Are you engaging in conversations so you are current on what interests them and what their needs are? This is probably the single most important component of making your writing matter. Someone who needs something is going to look and find it. Make sure you are writing what your audience needs. 

Make sure your writing is the best it can be. I like the three Cs: clear, concise, and correct. Need a fourth C? Make it creative. Creative enough to attract readers and keep them. If their attention wanders before they get to the second paragraph, the writing isn’t doing its job.

Find your metaphorical panda bear. Let’s leave our metaphorical marble for a moment to consider the cute and cuddly panda bear. People love panda bears so they look at them. You need a panda bear. Or as professional writers call it: a hook to engage your audience. Is there a news angle to what you are writing about? What is your intended audience reading about? Talking about? Use that. The better you know your audience, the easier it will be to figure out how to catch their attention and focus them on your content. If you do that reliably, they will come back to you for more.

Write an inviting headline. Like the old-fashioned carnival barker, your headline should call the audience to step right up and read. To make sure they are engaged enough to continue to the content, make your headline specific, focused on audience needs, and clear about the content’s topic. Creative is great but only if the headline is also clear. Above all, you want the audience to know what the article is about and why they need to read it.

Use photos, graphics, and video that relate to your content. It’s best, if possible, to use photos and graphics that specifically relate to your organization. If not, you can find free images on websites like Pixabay and Pexels. Be careful not to simply grab any photo or graphic from the web. You must have permission to use someone else’s work, whether it’s an infographic, photo, or graphic. There are a number of websites that allow you to easily create professional graphics and use them, including infographics. Two of my favorites are Canva and Piktochart. I created this simple graphic with Canva in about five minutes:

Content writer says- What you want to say is not as important as what your audience needs to hear.1

Use social media channels to promote your writing. It is best at this point to make sure you know what social media channels your audiences use and then use those to promote your content.

Now go forth and make those marbles and panda bears proud to be yours.

Sherri Alms has been writing content designed to appeal to her clients’ audiences for more than 20 years. Email her to discuss your organization’s writing needs.

Freelance Writers Aren’t Free, But They Are a Valuable Asset

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freelancer writer workingI should know. I have been one for 20 years. What do freelance writers like me bring to someone like you, a business owner or organization leader? Let me give you the ABCs:

Audience connection. Freelance writers should easily be able to understand your organization from the audience point of view, both because of their experience as writers and because they see your organization from the outside in. If your freelance writer isn’t pushing you to think about what your audience needs and wants to know, show her the door.

Beautiful writing, by which I mean concise, clear, and creative. Whether you want a freelance writer to write about neurosurgery, your newest hire, or trending haircuts, she should be able to provide you with content that will attract readers and keep them reading until the very end. Will she hit it out of the ballpark every time? Probably not, but if she can’t get eyes on the page, then she’s not the writer for you.

Conscientious. Freelance writers understand the importance of getting the facts right (see below). They know how to interview sources and take notes. They understand how to do research.

Dependable. Good freelance writers not only turn in their work by the deadline, they communicate with their clients along the way to let them know how it’s going and if there may be issues beyond the freelancer’s control. The freelance writer you hire should return your phone calls and emails in a timely manner. She’s on time for scheduled calls and meetings.

Error-free. Everyone can use a copyeditor, and that includes even the best freelance writers. That said, however, your freelance writer should be turning over copy that is free of all but the smallest copyedits (and most of the time, even those should not be an issue).

Bonus E: Experienced. While it’s okay to hire a freelance writer who is new to freelancing, if that person does not have published writing samples to show you, be wary. You want someone who has enough experience to have produced published content. She needs to understand the process of producing content, including researching, interviewing, and editing (including copyediting).

Factual. Even “The New Yorker” doesn’t hire as many fact-checkers as it used to. Freelance writers know how to find source material that is credible. They check facts given to them by people they interview. They know how and when to cite paraphrased and quoted material.

Genuine. You have the sense that you can trust your freelance writer and that what she says she will do, she delivers.

Hard-working. You don’t want someone who delivers a tossed-off first draft or who isn’t willing to do the preparation and research needed to produce a good finished piece of content. How do you know if the freelance writer you are considering is capable and conscientious? Call references. Freelancer writers should be able to provide two to three clients who can vouch for their work and work habits.

Independent. If you find that the freelance writer you hired is constantly asking for direction or doesn’t seem to understand what you want no matter how many times you explain it, she’s probably not a writer you can work with long term. If she can’t make calls, find information, or do any of the components that are part of producing quality content without assistance, then she may cause you more headaches than she will relieve them.

Judicious. Freelance writers can make judgments about their content, knowing when, where, and how to edit a piece. They understand how to write for different audiences and in various contexts.

Likable. If you don’t enjoy working with your freelancer, then find someone who is enjoyable to work with.

Sherri Alms has produced content of all kinds for a range of clients since 1997. Email her to discuss your organization’s writing needs.

White to Write: Overcoming Writer’s Block

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desk with computerWhat is scarier than “The Ring”? More terror-inducing than a roller coaster? The blank white screen and its partner in horror, the blinking cursor.

Even professional writers, maybe especially professional writers, hate the sight of them. If you have to write for work or for school, you are likely familiar with how that screen can make your mind go blank just when you need most need it to produce words, preferably strung together in memorable sentences.

Get Started

As someone who has been a freelance copywriter for 20 years, I often stare at the blank white page for far too long before starting in on my latest assignment. That practice has led to a secret for turning white to write. It consists of one word: start.

So as not to scare myself, I call this “putting my notes in order.” If you don’t have notes, call it “organizing my thoughts.” Organizing is not so intimidating as writing. I’m not writing a draft. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s just putting the notes I have gathered in order.

Ten More Tips

That’s the first step. These are the rest of the steps to writing yourself into a polished piece of writing, whether it’s a homework assignment, blog post, article, website content, grant proposal, letter, or something else:

  1. Let those notes/thoughts sit for as long as you can—anywhere from an hour or two to a day usually works. Go for a walk. Sleep on it. Have some lunch.
  1. Reread, organize into some sort of order.
  1. Walk away again. Sleep on this draft if you can.
  1. Re-organize. Revise.
  1. Give it a rest.
  1. By now, when you reread, you should see something that makes you reasonably happy and you can tweak it. Add a creative, effective headline. If not, keep repeating the steps above until you are happy with it. (And if not does happen. It’s happened to me many times. Don’t let it worry you into a brain freeze.)
  1. Let it rest again.
  1. Reread with a critical eye. If you are happy, then let someone else read it to find any typos, grammatical errors, awkward phrases, etc. If you don’t have the luxury of a “someone else,” put your editor’s hat on and do it yourself. First read for flow and expression. Make any revisions you want. Then read slowly to edit and proof for mistakes.
  1. Use spellcheck for a final check for errors.
  1. Last, be happy. You have gone from a blank page to a piece of writing you can use. It’s worth a pat on the back.

Sherri Alms has been overcoming writer’s block for her clients for more than 20 years. Let her save you from the blinking cursor. Email her to discuss your organization’s writing needs.